A new report from PwC that tracks the effective tax rates (ETR) for various industries shows a nearly three percent drop from 2012 to 2013 for aerospace and defense companies. With revenues down, that means defense companies are not only paying a lower rate, but are forking over less total money to their governments.

Everywhere I go she’s there, folded arms, smartly dressed in a blazer and white button-down, keeping an eye on me. Just a hint of a wry smile crosses her face as she lurks. She’s there representing the CIA, and the National Clandestine Service. Maybe I’m being paranoid, but she’s around when I’m taking a look…

Former NSA and US Cyber Command chief retired Gen. Keith Alexander made an appearance Sunday on John Oliver’s new show, Last Week Tonight. The first couple of minutes involve domestic surveillance. Alexander, looking relaxed in retirement having concluded his controversial tenure last month, seemed to handle the questions calmly and attempted to provide standard talking…

His eyes are set deep, shrouded in heavy bags that betray the sleepless nights he’s spent at his desk without complaint, according to those who have worked with him. He likes to quote movies, a tic that’s common among Navy officers, and has a penchant for stuffing conversations with film references and an easy laugh,…

It’s easy to forget that it’s been less than a decade since the reorganization of the intelligence community as part of the post-9/11 handwringing that went on in Washington, but as the role the NSA and intelligence community gets another look following the Snowden disclosures, it’s worth considering how the current structure was cobbled together.…

It’s an awkward relationship between US and Iraqi leaders. At the end of 2011, after the two sides couldn’t agree upon the conditions for a continued US troop presence in Iraq, President Obama abruptly pulled forces out of the country leaving the still youthful Iraqi government to manage a difficult security situation. Now the Iraqi…

Republican senators Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Mark Kirk of Illinois are asking the Pentagon’s chief watchdog to look into a contractor who shipped items through Iran on their way to Afghanistan. The Dubai-based contractor, Anham, has claimed that the items were shipped by subcontractors without company leadership’s knowledge, but Defense News reported in…

UPDATE: Word from a source that the drone was a DJI Phantom, a four rotor aircraft that’s about a foot across. Ontario Tourism, busy trying to capture the Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve from the air, had a small drone go down this weekend. It’s a pretty view, and the drone appears to be getting…

Lest you think that the government shutdown would have a calamitous effect on all those who work with the government, think again. Defense contractors are having a very nice Tuesday on Wall Street, up slightly, despite the continued political wrangling in Washington. The unofficial Defense News Stock Index, which is a price-weighted index we keep…